“Y'know, you really could join track or something!” Rainbow Dash said over her shoulder. “You're a great runner!”

Sunset tried to smile through the pain in her lungs, gasping for the breath to talk. “Why... haven't... you?”

This second mile was really taking its toll on her. She found herself wondering how she had been so easily convinced to join her on her daily runs, when Rainbow Dash was clearly in much better shape than she ever expected to be.

“Meh. I like more direct competition. Soccer and tennis are my thing.” Dash turned back around and made the turn for Canterlot High, slowing to a brisk walk to the girls' lockers. The two quickly showered and changed into their daywear, Rainbow Dash stuffing her old clothes into a locker, and Sunset Shimmer neatly tying hers into a plastic grocery bag to be washed later without stinking up her school things.

“Thanks for running with me. Really,” Dash said as they walked out. “Used to go with Gilda, but...”

“Yeah.” Sunset had heard. Miss Gilda Grifont had dropped out early last year. Rainbow Dash had taken the news rather personally, having been good friends with her. “I'm sure you can catch up. I mean, you got along with me, you can make up with her just fine.”

“Yeah... What time is it?” Rainbow Dash looked at her wrist as if expecting a watch to materialize there. Sunset glanced up at the school clock pointedly: 6:40. School wouldn't start for another two hours. “We got a bit. Hey, wanna swing by Pinkie's place? Maybe she'll feed us!”

Sunset nodded, somewhat reluctantly. She felt awkward around more than one of the girls; the bond they shared was tangible.

Rainbow Dash skipped ahead down the block, clearly not tired in the slightest after their run, and made it to the Pie residence well in front of Sunset, impatiently tapping her foot. Sounds coming from within the house piqued her interest as they walked up the driveway to the garage. It sounded startlingly like a war zone. The girls looked at each other as they heard the tinny report of machine-gun clatter and Pinkie's voice shouting incomprehensible battle-cries from inside.

“Maybe she's... playing video games?” Sunset suggested. Dash shook her head.

“Pinkie only has a handheld. Must be a movie. Come on!” Rainbow stepped around the corner of the house to the garage's' side door and opened it.

Inside, there was indeed a movie playing (Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “Commando” if Sunset was not mistaken), but the better spectacle was Pinkie herself. Wearing a pair of baggy camouflaged pants, her bra, and a red ribbon as a headband, she was dramatically reenacting the current battle scene on the tiny television set up against the garage door, yelling at the top of her lungs.

And toting a very large machine gun.

“YA! GET TO DA CHOPPA! CHU-CHU-CHU-CHU-CHUH! CHU-CHU-CHUH!” the heroine of her own little world mimed while firing wildly, then turned and rolled towards where Dash and Sunset were standing, firing again. “CHU-CHU-chuh... chuh chuh... uhh.... Hi there...”

Sunset let her mouth stay open as she glanced over the rest of the garage. A variety of pistols and rifles, most with orange plastic tips on the barrels, were littered on the floor amongst Pinkie's usual collection of comfy sitting pillows. She had pretty much taken over the garage with her own personal style, several rows of streamers had been pinned to the roof, and a portable sink and the TV stand were blocking the carport door from opening.

Pinkie herself was kneeling on the floor, looking like a deer caught in the headlights as she slowly set down the machine gun.

“Umm, I can totally explain-” she started, her usual bounciness left behind for the moment. Rainbow Dash was having none of it.

“THAT THING IS AWESOME! Where'd you get it!? Does it work!?” She leapt into the room, dropping to the floor to look at the weapon. Pinkie perked up instantly as she realized Dash was on her wavelength.

“I got all of them at a yard sale for like, fifty bucks! This one's called an M-60, and I can't figure out how it works. They’re all air-pellet guns, they sold me a bucket of these too!” Pinkie held up a three-liter jar of colorful plastic pellets. Sunset knelt down and picked up one of the handguns, examining it, careful not to touch the trigger.

“I've heard of these!” Dash was getting more excited by the second. “People play wargames with these. They form teams, then go and shoot each other! It's like playing army but you actually know if you got hit, I heard the pellets really can sting! Awesome!” she repeated, hefting the M60 and aiming it around the room.

Sunset finished her examination of the pistol, pointed it at the wall and pulling the trigger. With a snap, a pellet flew out, bounced off the wall, and hit Rainbow Dash in the thigh, who leapt into the air in surprise, dropping the machine gun. Sunset gasped, fumbling the safety on and running over. “Oh my gosh! Are you ok?”

Dash nodded, slightly shaken. “Yeah. Just surprised me. Didn't hurt.”

Sunset slowly put down the handgun. “Ok. New rule. Nobody plays with these things unless everyone has eye protection, and not until we learn how they work.”

“Okie-dokie-loki! I mean, I had no idea any of them were loaded! That's scary!” Pinkie nodded vigorously.

“I'll help you figure out how they all work, if you want, Pinkie. They seem like they could be fun, even if just for target shooting. I mean, if you want to.” Sunset said, surprising herself. Maybe this whole friendship thing was finally rubbing off on her.

Pinkie's joyous gasp and hug sealed the deal.

Sunset opened a new tab in her laptop's browser, absorbing more information at a glance as she poured over the article. She completely failed to notice anyone coming up behind her in the quiet library.

“Darling, what are you reading?” came Rarity's cultured voice from directly over her shoulder.

Sunset Shimmer had to stomp on her old instinct to turn and shame the fashionista for startling her, but she caught herself in time, taking a deep, controlled breath, and turned the screen so she could see more clearly.

“Pinkie Pie just bought a whole truckload of pellet guns, and I offered to help her figure out how they work, and make sure they're safe. I found out at least one of them was loaded the scary way. Want to help? Me and Rainbow Dash are going back to Pinkie's after school to sort through them,” Sunset explained.

“Certainly, I'll help, but what in goodness’ sake is Pinkie going to do with Airsoft guns? She never really struck me as the type,” Rarity mused. Sunset snickered and told her the events of that morning in full.

“Really? How many of the things did she get?” Rarity giggled, probably imagining Pinkie's Schwarzenegger impersonation.

Sunset shrugged, closing her laptop. “I have no idea, at least ten, I'm going to catalogue them all tonight, and try and organize them so we can figure out what is what.” The class bell rang, and the two got up. “Thanks for offering to help.”

“Anytime. I think it’s wonderful that you’re helping as well!” Rarity beamed.

Sunset felt an unpleasant stirring in her gut and got snippy before she could stop herself. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Rarity blinked, going even paler than usual. “Well, um, just that. It’s a good thing that you are going out of your way to help somebody.”

Sunset snorted, stuffing her things roughly into her bag. Rarity put a hand on her shoulder.

“Sunset, dear, I didn’t mean to offend you. It was a compliment. You don’t just become ‘good’ overnight,” she soothed. Sunset knocked her hand away, standing up.

“And that is what this is about. Rainbow used to do the same thing, point out every little good deed I do to try and prove ‘yay, Sunset, you can be a nice girl too!’” Sunset rounded on the fashionista. “Because guess what? I can become good overnight. I learned the power of friendship. It literally hit me like a train, put me in a crater in the school grounds, and I realized that I was after the wrong power for my whole life. Now all I need is for people to stop treating me like a walking bomb that needs to be babied every day!”

Rarity bumped into the bookshelf behind her, and Sunset noticed she had been advancing. She felt heat rise in her cheeks as she stepped back, aghast, and turned away, marching quickly from the library. If there is a god in this world, can he please give me a kick up my flank before I ruin my own point in the same sentence I make it? Pretty please? What is wrong with me?

Sunset turned down several halls without really looking where she was going, then stopped and leaned back against a locker and let the crowd pass by, closing her eyes and taking deep breaths. The crowd passed by, ignoring her.

“ 'Parden. That's my locker.”

Sunset started, looking up to see Applejack standing expectantly in front of her with an unamused expression on her face. Sunset jumped aside, quickly trying to rub her face with her sleeve as the door was popped open.

“Somethin’ the matter?” Applejack asked, through the locker door between them.

“N-no. Thank you for asking,” Sunset said robotically.

“Anytime.”

Struck by an idea, Sunset leaned around the locker door. “Hey, Applejack, I don't know if Rainbow or Pinkie told you yet-”

Applejack nodded, closing the door and snapping the padlock shut. “About them BB gun-things? Yeah, RD wouldn't shut up about them until Principal Celestia pulled her aside to check that she ain't talking about real guns. What about 'em?”

Sunset nodded, that sounded like Rainbow Dash. “I was going back to Pinkie's after school to sort them out. Just wanted to know if you wanted to come along.”

“No, thank you. I have work t'do.” Applejack responded, just as deadpan as Sunset had.

“Oh. Ok. See you later, then.” Sunset nodded, turning and trying to swallow a lump in her throat. Somehow, out of all of them, Applejack was still the hardest to talk to, even more so than Fluttershy.

Last-period Calculus went by smoothly, most of the class Sunset spent reading more about how the various types of pellet-gun worked. The closer the class got to finishing, however, the more excited she found herself getting to leave and go apply what she was learning. As much as she wanted to do this to become better friends with Pinkie, she was starting to want to try the replica weapons herself, making a list of all the things they would need to get them started. The bell rang, and Sunset Shimmer practically flew out of her chair, pulling out her cell and dialing Pinkie Pie as she went.

“Hellooooo!” Pinkie sang as she picked up.

“Hi, Sunset Shimmer here. I gotta go downtown and pick up some things. Just don't touch any of the-" Sunset looked cautiously before continuing, "-the Things until I get there, and don't let Rainbow Dash touch them either. Rarity, uh, might be coming to. I'll see you in a bit.”

“Wow, Rares too?! This is awesome! I'll invite Fluttershy and AJ, we'll have a sleepover!”

“I just ran into Applejack, she said she's... busy. Later.” Sunset told her.

“Awww…. Ok! Later!”

Sunset hung up and jogged to her car, speeding off to the hobby shop downtown and was gratified not only to find everything on her list, but that the shop itself sold and rented pellet guns and all the accessories. Less than an hour later, she was pulling into the the driveway of the Pie house and unloading a large cardboard box full of supplies. The garage door rolled up as she hauled it closer.

“Hey Sunny! Whatcha got there? Huh?” Pinkie bounced out to meet her, catching the other end of the box and helping her maneuver it inside. Sunset was gratified to see that all of the guns were still pushed up against the far wall like they had left them.

“Everything we need. I hope. Let's get started.” Sunset pulled a pillow underneath her and sat down.

“Yeah, what are we doing?” Rainbow Dash and Rarity walked in from the door to the house itself, carrying a pitcher of iced tea and a stack of glasses.

“Organizing these, and making sure everyone who wants to use them knows how they work. Safety first!” Sunset reached into the box and pulled out a handful of protective glasses. “Put these on anytime someone is handling these. I tried to get colors you might like, plus a few extra.”

“Sweet!” Dash slid on the blue glasses, then sat down cross-legged next to Sunset. Pinkie giggled as she grabbed the pink pair.

Rarity hesitated as she took the violet set. “Sunset, I'm sorry about-”

“Don't be,” Sunset cut her off, knowing where this was going. She really didn’t want to embarrass herself again. “I really overreacted, don't worry about it. Seriously.”

“If you're sure… but you did make a good point.” Rarity left it at that and put on her glasses, carefully kneeling on a pillow. Sunset slid on her own crimson pair with a grateful look.

“Thank you, Rarity. Ok!” She clapped her hands, then picked up one of the handguns she had researched, a black, angular piece with black plastic grips and a metal slide emblazoned with “S&W Sigma” along one side. There were three others like it, so she figured they would be a good place to start.

“Ok, this is the licensed Smith & Wesson model, and it looks like the original owner was a fan. The magazine release is here.” Sunset pushed the button on the grip, and the metal magazine slid out. She examined it and pointed out where the pellets went. “This one holds twenty-six shots, and under here...” She wiggled off the rubber cover on the bottom to reveal a hidden valve. “...is where the propane goes.”

“P-PROPANE!?” Rarity gasped.

“Relax, I'm sure it’s safe. Right?” Rainbow asked. Sunset shrugged.

“Well, it’s not straight propane. It's a mix they call 'green gas,' I bought a canister. Give it here, carefully, please.” Rainbow Dash handed the large canister of pressurized chemicals over, and Sunset looked over her shoulder to check that the garage door was open enough to prevent fumes. She took the bottle and mated the two valves, pressing them together with a small hiss of escaped air, then pulled them apart when the whisper of flowing gas stopped. “According to the manufacturer, that should be enough for two full reloads, but some forums say more. Now we pull the magazine spring down and drop pellets in the top. Simple as that.”

A minute later, she had filled the magazine, the other girls all leaning over her shoulders. Checking one last time that everything was where it belonged and looked clean, she slid the magazine into the grip, pulled back the slide, and let go. It snapped forward with a satisfying clack.

Sunset looked around at the girls, all of them sharing the feeling that they really might be doing something dangerous. “It either works or it doesn't. Here we go.” Sunset took aim at a cardboard box full of old newspapers and pulled the trigger, musing that the third option was that it exploded in her hand.

With a mechanical “pop!” of gas, the handgun spat out a pellet and its slide jerked back, poking a tiny hole in the side of the box. Dash gave a whoop of victory and Rarity and Pinkie clapped. Sunset unloaded the pistol, setting it down. “Ok. Your turns!”

“What?” Dash balked. Sunset picked up the other three identical handguns, handing one to each of them, and divvied up the magazines.

“So you know how it works, and can take care of it. Unload it, recharge the gas, load the pellets, and check that the gun is all clean. I'll walk you through it!”

A few minutes later she turned away, going about setting up three paper targets on the plastic stands she had bought. The girls were merrily going about filling the ten magazines that fit the Sigmas, so Sunset set about disarming all of the other guns and organizing them into boxes.

There were two sleek-looking electric M16 rifles, one of which had an adjustable stock and mounting rails along the top and all around the barrel, the other an older-looking design with the sights and carry-handle built together. Another pistol, larger than the others, had a bulky flashlight and suppressor screwed onto the end, along with a much smaller handgun that may have been the one she shot Rainbow with, and a revolver made with a real wood grip that hid a gas canister, which Sunset removed. There was one long-barreled bolt-action rifle with a scope, the underside of which had clearly been modified with custom plastic parts to fit a pistol-like magazine. Next was a lightweight electric design with a folding stock, modeled on an MP5 submachine gun, but with a much thicker, bulkier barrel that may have been designed to look like an integrated suppressor. Sunset noted its magazines had large internal reservoirs that led into a forty-shot hand-wound feed, and most of the other rifle magazines did as well. The M60 was easy enough to empty the simple tank that held pellets disguised as an ammo box, and she quickly found how to replace the batteries with the new ones.

Finally, Sunset picked up the last rifle as the girls finished loading their handguns and started an impromptu competition, the pop-pop of the gas guns and laughter at their marksmanship filling the garage. Sunset ignored them for the moment, something had caught her attention about this particular item. It seemed... more.

The stocks and barrel-handguard where solid wood, and the barrel and most of the casing seemed to be metal as well, making the rifle much heavier than the others. The design was clearly based on some kind of Warsaddle Pact weapon, a short-barreled AK with an stamped steel body. She removed the magazine, finding it held a gas cartridge, and pulled back the slide. To her disgust, a pair of small plastic parts fell out if the bottom of where the magazine went. Ponyfeathers, she swore to herself, the spell shattered. This one was definitely broken.

“Sunset! Come on! I filled an extra thingie for you!” Pinkie slid down next to her, dropping one of the Smith & Wesson guns into her lap with a spare magazine, then pulling her to her feet, the AKM clattering to the floor forgotten. Sunset found herself lined up with the others, their excitement infectious. “Ready! Aim! Go!”

They all opened fire, and the already abused targets fell apart under the barrage as multicolored pellets bounced across the floor. Pinkie finished last, pulling out the magazine, spinning the pistol like a cowgirl and tucking it into the top of her skirt. “Best idea ever!”

Rarity examined her own. “I wonder if I could make proper holsters for these. I mean, how hard could it be?”

“That'd be cool!” Rainbow was practically dancing with excitement. “Hey! Hey Sunset! Shoot me!”

“WHAT!?” all three girls screeched. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes.

“Come on. These things are literally made for this. Just not in my face, or whatever. How bad could it be?” She marched to the far corner of the garage and turned to face them.

“If you're sure.” Sunset removed and pocketed her last magazine, picking up a new one to reload.

“Totally! Bring it!”

*pop!*

Rainbow Dash's eyes went wide, and she very slowly mouthed “ow” before bringing both hands to the spot the pellet hit. “That really, really hurt! You shot me in the boob!”

Sunset sputtered. “You only said don't aim for your face! I aimed at your chest! It could have hit anywhere!”

A quiet knock on the wall announced Fluttershy's arrival, who cowered by the entrance to the garage when all of them turned to look. “Umm, sorry. Is this a bad time?”

Rarity and Pinkie looked at each other and collapsed in peals of laughter.

“But… isn't this… dangerous?” Fluttershy held out the pistol cautiously, her grip far too low to reach the trigger. Rainbow Dash corrected her, moving her hands into a better position.

“Just dangerous enough to be fun! Now, all you have to do is look at the target, line up the sights, and pull the trigger. Easy!” Dash stepped back.

Rainbow Dash had enthusiastically taken it on herself to teach Fluttershy to shoot. Sunset had been happy to let her, Fluttershy was still terrified of her reverting to her bullying ways, and Sunset could not blame her in the slightest. Rainbow seemed to be doing a fairly good job of instructing, anyways, she assured herself.

*pop!*

Fluttershy started violently at either the sound, or the motion of the slide, and a hole appeared high on the outer edge of the paper, outside the target. She cringed.

“Oh! Oh dear. I'm not a very good shot, am I?”

Pinkie shook her head. “That was like, your first time ever. Try agai-in!”

“No pressure, darling. I'm a terrible shot,” Rarity professed.

Fluttershy nodded, steeling herself and taking aim. She slowly squeezed the trigger, taking slow breaths between each shot.

*pop! pop! pop! pop! pop! pop!*

The second shot poked the zero out of the number ten ring, and the following shots proceeded to make the hole slightly bigger, until the further shots simply sailed through the hole unobstructed. Fluttershy looked at her handgun in confusion as the slide locked back on the final shot. “Um, what did I do? I-I didn't break it, did I?”

She turned to see all the other girls with their jaws hanging wide open in shock and instantly flushed pink with embarrassment. Rainbow Dash was the first to find something to say.

“Holy SHIT you're a good shot! Look at this!” Dash went over and held up the target, looking through the hole. “You never missed the bullseye! Not even once!”

“B-but I did miss, I barely hit the target the first-” Fluttershy insisted. Sunset shook her head and held up the last target she had used. Only a few had even come close to the center, most were clustered in the lower-right of the seven and eight ring and at least three had missed entirely.

“You're a natural. This is all of our first times, and none of us could do that well.”

Pinkie gave a squeak of excitement and grabbed Fluttershy in a giant hug, spinning her around. “This is awesome! How did you do that! Can you teach me? Or was it magic?”

Fluttershy extracted herself with some difficulty, and examined the gun. “I-I just took my time... that's all.”

Rainbow threw an arm around Fluttershy, beaming. “Come on! Let’s have Sunset show you how to reload the thing... what is it again?”

“A Smith & Wesson Sigma, darling, it's literally written on the side,” Rarity explained patiently.

“Sure, whatever. Then you can practice yourself!” Dash drug her over to the box where all the supplies were and sat her down. Sunset sat down next to her, making a conscious effort to try and be less intimidating.

“Umm... hi...” Fluttershy muttered. Sunset winced internally. Good job on the whole not-intimidating thing.

“Hi. Again. I guess.” Well done, Sunset. Well done. “Ok, right. This button...” Sunset walked Fluttershy through rearming and reloading, then noticed Pinkie slowly leaning in over their shoulders, grinning. Sunset growled in annoyance. “Pinkie, I know for a fact you have had the concept of ‘personal space’ explained to you before. What?"

Pinkie giggled. “I just had another idea!” she announced.

This time it was Rarity's turn to roll her eyes. “I temper my sense of sanity in preparation.”

“Ok, so, Dashie said that people play games with these things, right? Well, since we're all here, and my folks are all out...” Pinkie bounced in place on her cushion.

The others all nodded, waiting for her to finish. Pinkie looked around at them expectantly, and Rarity caught on first.

“Wait, now?! But Pinkie, its almost ten o'clock at night! We should be thinking about bed!”

“Hey, I'm up for it!”

“Of course you're up for it, you're Rainbow Dash,” Rarity countered.

Fluttershy fidgeted with her hair. “Umm, I'm not sure it's a very good idea... This late... at night... in the dark.”

The four looked expectantly at Sunset Shimmer. Sunset, surprised at suddenly being the center of attention, stared back. “What?”

“Swing vote,” Pinkie explained. Sunset wished she would blink.

“Umm...” It suddenly struck Sunset that not only did they want her input, but actually were going to value it. They cared about what she had to say. No one had since... since Twilight had appeared. And now this group of people were going to listen.

Sunset grinned, a real, happy smile that hurt her face. “Why not!?”

The school always looked different at night. All the lights were out, but Sunset had double-checked around the back to make sure Vice-Principal Luna's car was gone. The lady was notorious for staying late, and Sunset had found out by a very close shave one night of snooping around that the Vice-Principal usually left all the lights off. Sunset shivered, regretting not having brought a sweater like the rest of the girls. Her leather jacket was not really cutting it.

“Ok, I got an idea!” Rainbow pulled back her black hoodie, looking around. “We have uneven teams, so let's do a VIP match, like in Counter-Strike!”

“I've never played Counter-Strike, dear,” Rarity explained, flipping the tail of her scarf over her shoulder. “I have played quite a lot of Bejeweled, if it's anything like that?”

Rainbow Dash stared at Rarity open-mouthed, fumbling for the right words, making Rarity giggle. “I'm joking, of course. I know of the game, it's a shooter of some description, right? So what is a VIP match?”

Rainbow Dash shook herself. “Bejeweled? You total casual. Anyway, in VIP, one team has a... well, a VIP. If the VIP gets taken out-”

“Oh dear...” Fluttershy muttered.

“-then that team loses, instantly. But if the VIP makes it safely to the objective point, then they win.”

Sunset raised her hand. “So the VIP team gets more players, right?”

Rainbow nodded. “Exactly. Let's see... The main statue right here in front of the school will be the safe zone. If the VIP makes it here, they win. Escort team can start on the other side of the building, and the defenders will start here.”

Rarity cocked her head. “So what happens if the Non-Important Persons get hit?”

“Right! Umm... I don't know.” Rainbow Dash hung her head. Sunset stepped in.

“I read some overall rules to pellet-gun and paintball battles. If you get shot, you have to yell 'hit' and put your hand up, then walk to the safe zone. It's the honor system.”

Pinkie was grinning from ear to ear, rocking back and forth like a child in line for ice cream. “Ooh, this is so tactic-cool! Who's VIP? Who's VIP?”

“Fluttershy? Do you want to be 'it'?” Sunset asked. “That way, your job is to stay safe. If it all goes right, you don't get shot.”

“Umm... Sure...” Fluttershy reluctantly took out her glasses out of her yellow sweater and slid them on. She had been handed the much larger pistol, modeled on a Heckler & Koch Mark 23 handgun. The gas cartridges that Sunset had bought had been fairly easy to fit into its three magazines, and each held almost thirty shots. The pistol was so large and heavy Fluttershy was holding the large mock-suppressor up with her left hand, like some kind of stockless rifle.

“Don't worry, Fluttershy! I'll protect you!” Dash threw her arm over Fluttershy's shoulder, giving her head a sharp bob to flick her own goggles down to her eyes.

“Dibs!” Pinkie jumped over to Fluttershy's other side, turning it into a group hug.

Sunset looked over at Rarity. “Think we can do this?” Sunset challenged.

Rarity pushed her protective glasses up her nose, the took out her pistol and posed. “I believe a catchphrase is in order.”

Sunset smirked as she put on her own glasses.

“It. Is. On!”

A sharp blast of Fluttershy's whistle rang out through the chilly night air, and Sunset followed Rarity out of the light to concealment near a hedge. If we hear it again, match is over. We either won or lost.

“Which way do you think they'll go?” she asked, peering out into the darkness.

“Rainbow Dash will definitely think she's being clever, and try to talk them into going the long way around. Pinkie, however...” Rarity spread her hands and pouted. “She can be a mite random.”

“So they might do anything, huh?”

“Anything,” Rarity smiled, “Except sit still. Fluttershy alone can't keep them from running around. Let's go to the far corner, but you keep an eye on the east end. If they go the long way, we'll be between them. If they go the short way, we'll be able to shoot at them as they run for the statue.”

Sunset nodded sharply. “Good plan. Let's go.”

The two set off at a jog, instinctively keeping their heads slightly lower as they ran. Rarity reached the corner and peeked, then yanked her head back and snapped her fingers to get Sunset's attention. She raised a finger and carefully pointed around the side of the building. Sunset got the message: one, that way.

Sunset signaled got it with a sharp nod and listened. Footsteps were approaching fast, someone was running toward them. Sunset raised her free hand and started a countdown: three, two, one!

Rarity and Sunset wheeled around the corner of the building at the same time, pistols up and searching for targets. Rainbow Dash, running toward them full-speed, provided one. Sunset began pulling the trigger as fast as she could, gritting her teeth as she tracked Dash's brilliantly colored hair.

Rainbow Dash had absolutely no plans to get hit, even caught mid-sprint. With inhuman reflexes, the star athlete juked to the side, and both girls pellets sailed through the space she had been in before Dash dropped, rolled and came back up with burst of speed parallel to them, slipping behind the cover of a waist-high hedge, spraying pellets blindly as she went. Sunset hastily ducked back as the shots whizzed past and pulled the magazine out of her pistol, pocketing it and drawing her spare.

“They're up to something. What now?” Rarity whispered hoarsely as she checked her own magazine and decided she still had enough shots to keep it. A taunting shout of “Is that all you got!?” echoed out back at them.

“Now...” Sunset peeked around the corner. “Now we hunt. Go to the right corner, I'll circle left. Careful not to shoot each other when we catch her.”

Without waiting for Rarity's response, she crouched low and ran to the far end of the hedge before looking back to see Rarity sidestepping to get a clear shot as well. Sunset preformed another mental countdown before leaping around to shoot.

She promptly forgot about shooting as Rainbow Dash seemed to be waiting for them yet again, launching herself in an impressive sideways dive and firing as she sailed through the air. Sunset ducked so quickly her feet left the ground, remembering halfway down that she even had a means of attack. She hit the ground in a clumsy kneeling stance, firing wildly.

In the madness, one extra “pop” filled the air, and Rainbow Dash yelped, spinning around and clutching at her back.

“Ow-ow-ow! Damnit! Hit...”

Sunset leaned to look past her and saw Rarity still aiming, grinning widely, then noticed how badly her own hands where shaking. She lowered her gun and gave a hasty thumbs-up as Rainbow grumpily got up and started walking out of the battle-zone.

“Good save!”

“You’re most welcome!”

“SUP-RIIIIISE!!!”

Sunset felt the most peculiar sensation of her bowels running to jelly as Pinkie Pie leap out from the corner they had just come from, her first shot whizzing past Sunset's shoulder so close she heard it pass with a faint “fwip” of displaced air. Her second shot, which Sunset was sure was much more luck than skill, hit Rarity on her belt.

“Eek! Oh, I mean, I'm hit!”

Sunset unleashed a flurry of both Equestrian and English swear words under her breath as Pinkie dodged back around the corner with a giggle before she could shoot back. She ran along the low hedge, passing Rarity and checking her magazine as she went. One-quarter. Have to be accurate. Heh, who am I kidding? Sunset pocketed that magazine and fished out her first one, which was about half-empty.

She sidled up to the corner, pistol at the ready, and hesitated before peeking around. “Pinkie? Are you there?”

The resultant giggle was all Sunset needed, but Pinkie answered anyway. “Sure am! Where else would I be?”

Sunset considered how she could dive around the corner, then realized the flaw in that plan was that she was not Rainbow Dash. “Well, I thought you might stick with Fluttershy while Rainbow ran interference.” Sunset stalled. If I can keep her talking, and maybe distract her enough to give away where Fluttershy is...

“Oh, wow!” Pinkie sounded legitimately surprised. “That's exactly what we did, but now I came to guard the corner so Fluttershy could go to the statue!”

Sunset blinked. “I've made a terrible mistake.”

Out of sight, Fluttershy blew her whistle in victory as she touched the statue in front of Canterlot High.

Sunset leaned against the cold stone wall and slid down, letting her handgun slide out of her hand and hanging her head so the night air could get under her hair. It felt good, her skin was flushed and hot after the brief exertion and several consecutive adrenalin rushes.

They had split up. Rainbow Dash had ran around the long way, and Pinkie and Fluttershy had gone the direct path. Either way we would have had a hard time winning, Sunset noted.

“Wee! That was- oh?” Pinkie skipped around the corner, and stopped short when she saw Sunset slumped against the wall. “Sunny? Are you alright?”

Sunset felt her body give a small spasm, quickly followed by another. She rolled her head back, and let the first burst of laughter out, then another, and another. Pinkie giggled as well and plopped down next to her, giving her a push.

“That was... T-that...” Sunset gasped for a breath, throwing an arm around Pinkie.

“Was FUN!” Pinkie hugged Sunset and pulled her to her feet in the same motion. “Like, intense awesome! Dashie was like 'I'll be a hero!' and 'zoom!' and me and Fluttershy were like-” Pinkie mimed sneaking like some sort of hunchback, “-and super-scared the whole way and I got to you and Rarity and you were all like ninja-action-chicks and, and...” Pinkie stopped, mouth opening and closing in confusion. “I... I actually can't describe it! I can't even make up a word! And I'm good at that!”

Sunset grinned, grabbing up the pellet guns and heading back to meet the others. Pinkie was right, she had no idea how to explain the rush she had just felt when she had teamed up with Rarity, the natural flow of how their gut feelings had met and formed strategy and fun. Something... ha!

The other three were gathered at the statue, and Sunset threw her own congratulations onto an embarrassed and emboldened Fluttershy, giving her a hug for good measure. Sunset grinned, looking back at the school, dark and foreboding in the night, and back at her friends.

“That was magical.”

Author's Notes:

I must request that any edits or writing recommendation be sent to me as a PM, not in the comments. Please. Otherwise I LOVE COMMENTS.

This was really just a kind of an experiment, I wanted to play with the idea of Sunset being nurtured by the “Humane 5” and finding a way to bond with them, and it might as well be in a interesting way. So I drew inspiration from the anime “Tokurei Sochi Dantai Stella Jogakuin Koutouka C 3 Bu” (or “Stella Girls' Academy, High School Division C³ Club”), for the Airsoft element, and my own love of military strategy and equipment, and some of the scenarios and conversations taken from Shack Tactical games.

While I don't have any realistic plans to continue, I kinda had an arc or two thought out. Let me know if you want more with comments and love! (note: nothing would convince me faster than fanart. #SHAMELESS)

Funnily enough, I have absolutely no experience with Airsoft or paintball. I’d love some ideas from experienced Airsoft players for custom kit for the girls, specifically how Pinkie might mod her M16A4 and Sunset would go about fixing up the AKM, and Rainbow Dash would want to buy and trick out the coolest-looking submachine gun on the market.

Special thanks to my buddy Mason for editing and making sure I didn’t cock up Airsoft 101! We haven’t met face-to-face since we were eleven, but we’re still good friends, thank you, Internet!

And thank YOU for reading!

*EDIT: Formatting fixed!

*EDIT 2: Rewrote some parts that I didn't feel flowed well or got to bogged down by technicality, as well as some final typos.

*EDIT THE THIRD: Retconned some little details to fit the bigger story. Thanks for making this what it is!

*EDIT THE RECKONING: Original cover art saved for posterity. I loved drawing this.